quick welding question?

mike paulson · Jun 4, 2011

hey guy's i have welded for decades in shops on concrete floors. are there any precautions one should take when welding outdoors on say a wet lawn or how about snow??

old · Jun 4, 2011

Be careful of wet hands or gloves because when changing rods it can/will get shocking and that shock is more then enough to kill you if you get a hold of it real good

mike paulson · Jun 4, 2011

probably best to shut off the welder when changing rods....

old · Jun 4, 2011

Ya and wear a good pair of gloves. Believe me it does not feel good to get shocked by a welder BTDT a few times

Pat-CT · Jun 4, 2011

Snow, I think might be a problem with heat being pulled to quickly. Might have to preheat also. A wet lawn would be if'y, might get a shock?

John T · Jun 4, 2011

Mike, in THEORY an AC Buzz Box Welder (can be at least, depends on the transformer design) has an isolation transformer with NO reference or tie to mother earth on the LV Secondary (welding) side i.e. the voltage potential is ONLY between the stick and grounding electrode with none to mother earth.......But there can also be capacitive coupling even with no physical connections remember....

BUT HOWEVERRRRRRRRRRRRRR its easy for one of the electrodes to get in contact with a conductive or semi conductive surface (earth, concrete etc) and its equally easy for parts of your body, therefore, to get between a potential voltage difference AND YOU GET A SHOCK

BTDT shocked many times so I always use gloves when sticking that rod into the stinger.....

John T

Dellbertt · Jun 4, 2011

Mike,
I have a Lincoln AC/DC. I usually weld on DC-.
For some reason on AC I never feel anything when changing rods with or without gloves. But on DC- my hands and teeth tingle even with thick gloves on and it is not a good tingle.

Dell

scotc · Jun 5, 2011

Our old Lincoln would give you a light buzz now and then. It was inside on a dry dirt floor, with the welder sitting up on a wooden bench. I still don't change rods without gloves, or setting the rod on something non-conductive, and grabbing it with the clip.

Janicholson · Jun 5, 2011

Open circuit voltage on stick welders is as low as 25 volts on some, and as much as 60 on others.
25 is pretty low to cause much of an issue with shock, but 60 is in the range of too much. Measure your volts on several current settings and see where you are.
If it has internal shorts or improper grounding, it could be way hot to ground.
Measure between the groung clamp and the stinger, and between the stinger and (as John indicates) Mother Earth, and from both electrode systems to the electrical ground. Anything more than 30 volts requires respect. Jim

quick welding question?

mike paulson

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old

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mike paulson

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old

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Pat-CT

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John T

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Dellbertt

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scotc

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Janicholson

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